Category: Around the A7FL

At wide receiver, the PA Immortalz have a lot of speed and elusiveness led by 2017 A7FL MVP hopeful Matt Riddick. Riddick has practically scored from everywhere on the field in 2017 and looks to build on his performance with the Immortalz in 2018.

CANVAS8 CASE STUDY 2017

Football may be America’s favorite sport, but NFL viewership declined by 8% in 2016/17. And while violent sports may appeal to some, long-term health concerns have created an image problem. The American 7s Football League tackles these issues head-on, bringing the game to a wider audience.

Union City New Jersey Chiefs take on the Pennsylvania Immortalz in the historic A7FL television debut LIVE on ELEVEN Sports Network

NEW YORK, July 5, 2017 — Today, the American 7s Football League (A7FL®), one of sports’ fastest growing and most exciting new leagues, announced the two teams that will play for the 2017 A7FL Championship.

The A7FL® will hold its third annual Championship in metro New York City, Sunday July 9th at 2PM EST at Palisades Credit Union Park. Tickets are on sale now at the park box office and are exclusively made available online at Tickets.com. The A7FL 2017 Championship on ELEVEN Sports Network will air LIVE Sunday July 9th at 2PM EST /11AM PST. Through ELEVEN Sports Network distribution with DirecTV, Verizon FiOS, AT&T uVerse, and network partners, the A7FL 2017 Championship will be accessible by over 70MM homes worldwide.

The undefeated Union City New Jersey Chiefs (9-0) are heading towards their third consecutive A7FL Championship. The NJ Chiefs are lead by team owner and offensive linemen Andrew Pallotto Jr. The NJ Chiefs are known for their aggressive style of play from whistle to whistle that will keep fans on their toes this Championship game.

At quarterback for the NJ Chiefs, Alex Vargas, and 2015 A7FL MVP, will have a plethora of weapons at his disposal to choose from. The Chiefs feature a two headed run game with Willy Mayweather carrying the bulk of the load and, 9 year veteran, big man Antonio “T-Bone” Nieto pounding out short yard situations. Vargas’ receiving targets including electrifying former track star Earnest “Eazy” Wingate, possession receiver Terry Roland, stand out tight end James “Big White” DeMild. Look for stand out athletes Debray Tavarez at the receiver position and Shaune Thomas at quarterback.

On defense, the NJ Chiefs is one of the most feared in the A7FL. The Chiefs substantiate their New Jersey style bravado with a daunting mix of blitzes. Calling the shots on defense is 330 pound nose tackle “Big Mo” Ramadan. Providing pressure on defense will be Andrew Levine, Isaac Negron, and Darryl Stephenson, and maniac “LOC”. The NJ Chiefs secondary is lead by Debray Tavarez and Delon Stephenson.

The NJ Chiefs come into this A7FL Championship in relatively healthy shape. Quarterback Vargas was hobbled somewhat last week in their victory over the Pennsylvania Dynasty (40-20). If Vargas is not able to play, then Shaune Thomas with his cannon arm strength and quick elusiveness can create the same level of havoc for the PA Immortalz defense.

The Pennsylvania Immortalz established in 2014 by team owner and quarterback Alsaiah “Woog” Gross, make their long awaited first appearance in an A7FL Championship match. The PA Immortalz head into the A7FL 2017 Championship rolling off two huge wins over defending A7FL 2016 Champion NJ B.I.C (40-27) and 2014-2015 back to back 2014/2015 A7FL Champion the Paterson New Jersey U (51-15).

At the quarterback position, the PA Immortalz have Sean “SP” Primer and Alsaiah “Woog” Gross. Primer is known for his elusiveness and chain moving while Gross is known for his legs and big arm. At the running back position, the PA Immortalz have the human highlight reel himself, Charles Irvin. Irvin just about averages a TD every other touch and can be a danger from anywhere on the field. At wide receiver, the PA Immortalz have a lot of speed and elusiveness led by 2017 A7FL MVP hopeful Matt “KING” Riddick. Riddick has practically scored from everywhere on the field. Justin “Z” Zeiner has been a mainstay of the PA Immortalz offense since the teams’ inception along with Shakur Lester, Tyran Wilson, and Bunk Thorne who round out the Immortalz receiving core.

The offensive line is lead by veteran Chris “Chill” Hill. Hill, a former collegiate basketball player, has been a dominant force up front for the Immortalz. Justen “Juice” Anthony has been a beast all season. Adonis “AD” Cannon is arguably one of the best offensive linemen in the A7FL. Terrell Mitchell, Tony Diaz, and Gerald Bell round out the offensive line rotation.On defense, the PA Immortalz are lead by the defensive line including Paul “Ski” Wilson who has been a sack leader since entering the league in 2014. Gerald “Black Rhino” Bell has been an unblockable disruptive force for the Immortalz during the last two games of the regular season. Bell has 6 sacks and a couple of forced fumbles in the Playoffs already. Tony Terry plays the other side of Paul Wilson and has made a lot of huge plays himself this season. Terrell Mitchell, Chris Hill, Lucas Lucier , Charles irvin, and Justen Anthony round out the other standout defensive line for the PA Immortalz.At the linebacker/safety position the Immortalz have a good all around athlete in Leo Mendez. Mendez has 8 interceptions this season and has been a solid standout defender making a name for himself. Prince Swagg has also been a very good defender for the Immortalz in the box. In the secondary, the Immortalz are lead by Matt “KING” Riddick whose speed and ball hawking mentality have been unmatchable this season. Shakur Lester, Tyran Wilson, and Emery Pacquiao, each standout defensive backs, with Wilson and Pacquiao both coming up with huge interceptions last week in the Immortalz 51-15 win over the Paterson NJ U.On the injured list, the 2014 and 2015 Pennsylvania defensive MVP and overall 2015 Pennsylvania MVP, Nic Davis. Davis has been out since the 2nd game of the season and is questionable for the Championship.

About A7FL:Headquartered in Boca Raton, FL, the American 7s Football League is the largest full contact, tackle football league in the United States that plays without hard pads and helmets. The goal of the A7FL is to save one of America’s favorite sports by fixing the way players tackle without sacrificing the physicality of the game all football fans love. The A7FL platform provides a modern model for the continued existence of football nationally as well as the expansion of American 7s football internationally. For more information, visit: www.A7FL.com.

About Palisades Credit Union Park:Palisades Credit Union Park opened in 2011 and was immediately dubbed America’s Best New Ballpark. The ballpark is the home of the Rockland Boulders of the CanAm League and features 6,000 seats along with 16 suites and 11 loge boxes. During the 2017 Boulders Baseball season, they will welcome their one millionth fan. The A7FL 2017 Championship will be the first football game in the facility, but the park has hosted numerous other high profile teams such as the Cuban National Baseball Team and major events such as concerts by The Beach Boys, Lee Brice, Rodney Atkins, Colbie Caillet, Gavin DeGraw and Darius Rucker among others.

About ELEVEN Sports:ELEVEN SPORTS is available in 70 million homes worldwide in Belgium, Italy, Luxembourg, Poland, Singapore, Taiwan and the United States. Launched in the US in March 2017, ELEVEN SPORTS is dedicated to delivering world-class domestic and international sports and lifestyle entertainment ‘For The Fans’. Sports fans will be treated to a unique mix of emerging and established sports combined to provide engaging and compelling LIVE entertainment, placing the viewer at the very heart of the action.

Boca Raton, Fl, June 20, 2017 (Newswire.com) – ​​​​​​​​​​One of sports’ fastest growing and most exciting new leagues, the American 7s Football League (A7FL®), makes its national television debut in high-definition on ELEVEN Sports Network® (DirecTV & FiOS). The A7FL 2017 Championship on ELEVEN Sports Network is Sunday July 9th at 2PM EST /11AM PST

The A7FL® will hold its third annual Championship in metro New York City, Sunday July 9th at 2PM EST at Palisades Credit Union Park. Tickets go on sale today at the park box office and are exclusively made available online at Tickets.com. The A7FL represents the world’s largest semi-professional 7 on 7, no pads, tackle football league. Since its inception in 2014, the A7FL has drawn tremendous press and record online ratings and viral exposure from outlets such as Sporting News®, Bleacher Report®, and ESPN®, and social media platforms like YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram. Now ELEVEN Sports Network has acquired the exclusive United States and International broadcast rights to the A7FL 2017 Championship. Through ELEVEN Sports Network distribution with DirecTV and FiOS, the A7FL 2017 Championship will be accessible by over 70MM homes worldwide.

A7FL is poised to become the next major sports and entertainment franchise on television and we are excited to build on this traction to bring the compelling stories of our athletes, the excitement of American 7s Football, and a format for the expansion of American 7s Football® to the world.

SENER KORKUSUZ, CEO

Sener Korkusuz CEO of A7FL said: “A7FL is poised to become the next major sports and entertainment franchise on television and we are excited to build on this traction to bring the compelling stories of our athletes, the excitement of American 7s Football, and a format for the expansion of American 7s Football® to the world”. “American 7s Football® is grateful to ELEVEN Sports and Palisades Credit Union Park for hosting our 2017 Championship so many more fans from across the US and the world will have a chance to either attend live in person or watch this historic live televised A7FL event”, said Ryan DePaul, co-founder and President of the league. This agreement that awards ELEVEN Sports Network the exclusive rights to broadcast the A7FL 2017 Championship game, and follows the league’s latest announcement of ESPN E60 filming A7FL documentary coverage to air about a week prior to the NFL season kick off this September.

“Today is one of the most important days in A7FL history and marks the first televised broadcast of the sport of American 7s Football to the world. We believe we have found the platform and partner in ELEVEN Sports Network who is pioneering exposure for new and exciting sports to fans globally. We look forward to bringing A7FL fans the great American 7s Football they love by inviting them to watch our 2017 Championship LIVE on ELEVEN Sports Network,” said Sener Korkusuz, CEO, A7FL.

About A7FL:
Headquartered in Boca Raton, FL, the American 7s Football League is the largest full contact, tackle football league in the United States that plays without hard pads and helmets. The goal of the A7FL is to save one of America’s favorite sports by fixing the way players tackle without sacrificing the physicality of the game all football fans love. The A7FL platform provides a modern model for the continued existence of football nationally as well as the expansion of American 7s football internationally. For more information, visit: www.A7FL.com.

About Palisades Credit Union Park:
Palisades Credit Union Park opened in 2011 and was immediately dubbed America’s Best New Ballpark. The ballpark is the home of the Rockland Boulders of the CanAm League and features 6,000 seats along with 16 suites and 11 loge boxes. During the 2017 Boulders Baseball season, they will welcome their one millionth fan. The A7FL 2017 Championship will be the first football game in the facility, but the park has hosted numerous other high profile teams such as the Cuban National Baseball Team and major events such as concerts by The Beach Boys, Lee Brice, Rodney Atkins, Colbie Caillet, Gavin DeGraw and Darius Rucker among others.

About ELEVEN Sports:
ELEVEN SPORTS is available in 70 million homes worldwide in Belgium, Italy, Luxembourg, Poland, Singapore, Taiwan and the United States. Launched in the US in March 2017, ELEVEN SPORTS is dedicated to delivering world-class domestic and international sports and lifestyle entertainment ‘For The Fans’. Sports fans will be treated to a unique mix of emerging and established sports combined to provide engaging and compelling LIVE entertainment, placing the viewer at the very heart of the action.

Four years ago, Anthony DiMarsico had basically given up on football. This weekend, the Suffern High School graduate will wear a Jets uniform.

Thanks to his NFL-ready speed, DiMarsico earned an invitation to Jets minicamp, which begins Friday at the team’s facility in Florham Park, New Jersey, and will end Sunday. He will be among many hopefuls trying to stick with the organization through the offseason and beyond.

DiMarsico, who graduated from Suffern in 2010, is undoubtedly among the least likely participants. He redshirted one season at Lackawanna College before dropping football altogether. He then played a season of baseball at Rockland Community College and didn’t return to football until enrolling at Division III William Paterson University in 2014.

“When I step back and look where he is now, it’s really amazing,” said DiMarsico’s father, Anthony. “It reflects the type of person he is. He’s a hard worker.”

One of DiMarsico’s former Suffern coaches, James Hickey, urged DiMarsico to join him when he became the quarterbacks coach at William Paterson in 2013. Beginning the next season, DiMarsico starred at both wide receiver and quarterback. After just three seasons, he climbed into the program’s Top 10 in seven career categories, including receptions, receiving yards and scoring.

DiMarsico was given an opportunity to work out for NFL teams when he was invited to pro days at Fordham University and Wagner College. At Wagner on March 24, he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.39 seconds, which would’ve ranked eighth among all players at this year’s NFL Draft combine. In fact, only two wide receivers ran a faster time.

With the NFL’s need for speed, DiMarsico might not be such a long shot after all.

“We say it all the time: I can’t believe it. But I also look at it a totally different way,” Anthony Sr. said. “I look at it as now, you’re here now, now go beyond this. We’re not going to settle. I tell him, yes, it’s great, but don’t settle.”

Athlete Intelligence, the leading data analytics and sports wearable technology company, and American 7s Football League (A7FL), the largest full contact, helmet-less, tackle football league in the United States is excited to announce their partnership for the 2017 A7FL season. A7FL will tap into the Athlete Intelligence data analytic platform and utilize the company’s smart wearable technology, Vector MouthGuard, to optimize player performance and focus on reducing the risk of injury.

This spring Athlete Intelligence technology will be integrated within all the teams participating in A7FL. Players will be outfitted with the smart sensor technology the Vector MouthGuard. The Vector MouthGuard is the most accurate sport sensor measuring impacts to the head, including the brain’s linear and rotation accelerations.

According to Athlete Intelligence CEO Jesse Harper, “Our smart sensor the Vector MouthGuard pairs with the functionality of the Athlete Intelligence Platform to deliver a easy-to-use solution for more than just hit detection; it helps coaches and athletic trainers improve the players techniques and reduce injuries.“

The Athlete Intelligence platform will gather the data from the Vector MouthGuards and interpret the findings into a 3D head heat map visualizing the exact magnitude, direction, location and time of every hit. The platform will further analyze the data throughout the season to deliver “coachable moments,” or actionable insights for coaches and athletes to improve technique to reduce the risk of injury and improve performance.

Sener Korkusuz CEO of A7FL said, “The A7FL is extremely proud to have Athlete Intelligence return as a sponsor for the 2017 season beginning April 2, 2017. With the limited data collected from the last season from A7FL athletes wearing the Vector MouthGuards, we’re already getting an indication that the format of A7FL elevates player safety. We are so excited to continue our partnership and work with Athlete Intelligence and the New Jersey Institute of Technology this season in gathering as much scientific data as possible to be analyzed.”

The A7FL kicks off their 2017 season this Sunday, April 2, 2017 in New Jersey. You can watch the games live by subscribing to their YouTube Channel.

About A7FL: Headquartered in Boca Raton, FL, the American 7s Football League is the largest full contact, tackle football league in the United States that plays without hard pads or helmets. The goal of the A7FL is to save one of America’s favorite sports by fixing the way players tackle without sacrificing the physicality of the game all football fans love. In the A7FL we have seen the practical elimination of repetitive non-concussive hits such as those that occur with helmet to helmet football. We believe the A7FL platform provides a modern model for the continued existence of football nationally but also the ultimate expansion of American 7s football internationally. The A7FL has now joined forces with the New Jersey Institute of Technology and i1Biometrics Vector technology to study TBI and CTE as it relates to the “concussion” crisis in American football. The objective of the A7FL TBI study is to generate empirical evidence that removing helmets and hard pads reduces concussions and drastically reduces CTE and TBI related injury. For more information, visit: www.A7FL.com

PITTSBURGH, March 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — As the kickoff for the 2017 season is a few weeks away, the A7FL®, a professional 7 on 7 league is ready to take the field. American 7s Football League has teamed up with 2ND SKULL, Inc., a protective headgear company with patented technology featuring Impact Absorption Technology. The 2ND SKULL® Cap is a protective skull cap that A7FL players will be wearing this season.

“2ND SKULL® products are scientifically engineered to reduce impact. The special urethane molecules are soft at rest but harden upon impact, absorbing the energy. 2ND SKULL® helps protect an athlete by providing a thin layer of material designed to absorb impact,” said Federico Olivares, CEO of 2nd Skull.

Sener Korkusuz CEO of A7FL said: “Our players play football without bulky pads, enabling them complete freedom of movement and performance. When we found this product it made sense to get in touch with 2ND SKULL to see if they wanted to collaborate with us as a professional sports league. We love it because there is no bulk, weight and practically looks and feels like a regular skull cap. These accessories are already used in the NFL, college, and high school levels so adding a thin layer of effective protection that doesn’t change what we want to do was a no brainer.

“American 7s Football® format of removing helmets and removing bulky pads encourages athletes to use proper form tackling and wrap up technique. The concept of risk homeostasis supports our findings that athletes instinctively take their head out of the tackle when you remove the helmets and hard pads. You can see this going on with so called rugby style tackling being used at all levels of football including the NFL.”

Federico Olivares, founder and CEO of 2ND SKULL said: “We’re very pleased to collaborate with A7FL, as it is driving an emerging sport. 2ND SKULL® is the official protective headgear provider to A7FL.

“2ND SKULL® was a finalist in NFL’s 1ST & Future Competition during Super Bowl LI weekend in Houston. The Company competed in “Materials to Protect the Athlete” category which focused on innovative solutions that advance player safety while allowing the highest level of performance. The 2ND SKULL® Cap provides protection improvements against linear and rotational impacts. We do all of this in a simple, yet innovative product.”

About 2ND SKULL, Inc.
2nd Skull, Inc. is a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania based protective headgear company with patented products. 2nd Skull® products feature Impact Absorbing Technology and have a soft, flexible and breathable protective layer that delivers impact protection. 2nd Skull® has a protective headgear product for any activity. For more information, please visit 2ndSkull.com

About A7FL, Inc.
Headquartered in Boca Raton, FL, the American 7s Football League is the largest full contact, tackle football league in the United States that plays without hard pads and helmets. The goal of the A7FL is to save one of America’s favorite sports by fixing the way players tackle without sacrificing the physicality of the game all football fans love. The A7FL platform provides a modern model for the continued existence of football nationally but also the ultimate expansion of American 7s football internationally. For more information, visit: www.A7FL.com